Swimming appliance with flap drive



y 1933- H. w. HOFIUS 1,918,185

SWIMMING APPLIANCE WITH FLAP DRIVE Filed April 2, 1932 fatentecl July 11, 1933 UNITED STATES HEINRICH WILHELM I-IOFIU'S, OF DAHMESI-IOVED NEAR DAHME, GERMANY SWIMMING APPLIANCE WITH FLAP DRIVE Application filed April 2, 1932, Serial No.

Swimming appliances are known in which the swimmer lying on his back draws a flap through the water by thrusting out his legs so that the swimming appliance is propelled in the direction of the head of the swimmer.

The object of the invention is, to produce a. swimming appliance which is moved in the opposite direction to that of the head so that the swimmer can see where he is swimming and, besides the swimmer movement, movements similar to rowing are obtained.

For this purpose a driving flap comprising hinged plates is guided in an ordinary swimming frame between a float and a stationary foot board. Pull rods are hingedly connected to both sides of the driving flap which can be moved by hand by the swimmer either directly or through the intermediary of handles. Further, a back and head rest is arranged shiftable 011 the swimming frame so that the swimmer, by bending and stretching his legs, can carry out a reciprocating movement on the swimming frame.

A relatively large float is arranged 011 each end of the swimming frame, so that the appliance easily glides through the water. Owing to the special mounting of the driving flap and the fixed arrangement of the foot board on the appliance the power of the arms and legs is advantageously utilized.

An embodiment of the invention is illus-. trated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows the appliance in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. t shows the pull rods movement.

On a swimming frame, composed of parts a and Z) and comprising two parallel longitudinal bars (Z and e. floats f and g are arranged one at each end. In the fork-like structure a, b of the frame a driving plate 0 comprising hinged plates h is guided. The several hingedly mounted plates h are open during movement in the direction of the arrow 5 and close automatically in the opposite direction of movement.

On each side of the driving flap c apull rod is is arranged provided with a handle or connected to a one-armed lever Z adapted to be actuated by a handle at. A foot board 12 is rigidly mounted on the ends of the fork frame a, Z) at the point of transition to the struts (Z, 0. A back and head rest 0, 29 serves 602,867, and in Germany April 8, 1931.

for supporting the swimmer who places his feet against the foot board a. The pull rods Z? are operated by the hands.

The operation is as follows: The swimming and rowing movements performed by the legs and arms act in such a manner that, when bending the legs bearing against the foot board 72 and pulling the rods 7c, the driving flap 0 is moved in the opposite direction to that of the arrow 0 so that the swimming appliance is propelled in the direction of the arrow 2'. If the legs are then stretched and pressure is exerted on the pull rods 70 the hinged plates it open under the pressure exerted by the water so that they offer practically no resistance. The two operations are carried out alternately so that a swimming rowing movement is produced.

The appliance according to the invention can be employed advantageously on large or small stretches of water and the different movements are very stimulatin I claim A swimming appliance, comprising in combination a swimming frame, a float at each end of said frame; a foot board rigidly mounted on said frame, a driving flap guided in said frame between said foot board and Y the float at the foot end of said frame, pull rods hingedly connected at one end one to each side of said driving flap, levers hingedly connected to said frame and to said pull rods, and handles one on each of said levers adapted to be gripped by the swimmer and to impart a reciprocating movement to said rods through the intermediaryof said levers, and a back and head rest shiftable in'longitudinal direction on said frame adapted to perform a reciprocating movement on said frame during the bending and stretchingof the legs of the swimmer, whose feet rest against said foot board, and during the rowing movement exerted on said pull rods by the swimmer with his hands.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HEINRICH WILHELM HOFIUS. 

